I Wish I Was a Weatherman

As I reflect on this year and this Christmas I would say that it was quite a successful season.  A few notes as I look at this yearrs Plus and Minus'.  First, I did get my shopping done early for te first time ever.  Thank you for online shopping and the dealas they have for shoppers like me.  Second, I was able to talk to almost all of my children this year.  I sure tried toget them all but I fell short. ( I wish I was a weatherman)..  Third, Sskype became part of the Christmas experience as I was able to see Beth, Jim and Hailey while Hailey was openning her gift from Papa Stu.  JD and Beth really make a point of hooking me up with them when Hailey is avaiable so when I finally see her in person she will know the ols Papa Stu.   Fouth, I was able to visit with Jaime, Chad and the kids on Skype.  It was Jaime and Chad's first experience with it and I thought it went quite well.  Next month when I send out the Logitech systems to families that can't Skype I will be happy to see everyone communicating together like a a fmily should be.  Fifth, I got a chance to text back and forth with Andy early in the week but I failed to touch base with him or Erica for the Holiday.(I wish I was a weather man).I had a nice talk with Tony last week and talked about how things were going and how the adjusting to 2 children has been going.  A nice visit that was too long coming.  I missed Heathyr and felt bad about that as it was poor planning on my part that caused the lack of getting a hold of her.  Sixth, trying as hard as I could, leaving messages on phones, Facebook and other social networks I had no luck in connecting with Abbey.  It saddened me that we didn't connect but I guess it was not meant to be.  I am not sure what happened to cause the situation but I am sure I must have said something.  Sorry. And lastly, it was nice to visit with Jessica and Mike at the house.  Rocky joined the family for a couple days and the rest of the clan was happy to see them.  A fun time was had by all.

There are times as parents that we may say a wrong thing, or bring up a subject at the wrong time but those are mistakes by people who care.  The difference between a parent and a weatherman is very simple.  A parent says something or maybe doesn't say something and the earth quits moving and a conflict begins, Whereas as the Weatherman he gets paid about 70K to be right half of the time.  So knowing I am not perfect and will always say the wrong thing at times, I guess I would rather be that weatherman who only needs  to be right about 50% of the time.

May the New Year bring you and your loved ones peace, joy and the Blessings from the Christmas story.

He Came Back Home A Man

It was a sad day when Andrew left to go to Duluth to leave for the Navy.  He went to Great Lakes for his basic training.  While there the Navy turned him into a Sailor and when we saw him on his Graduation Day you could tell how much he had grown.  From there it was off to South Carolina for his "A" School.  He has spoken highly about his training and has done a very good job and has graduated near the top of his class.  The Naval life seems to be good for him and he has learned about his future job and also has had time to do things on the weekends.  One of the things he did was to get qualified to sail smaller sailboats.  Sounds like he has had a lot of fun getting certified and now he can take out the sailboats with another friend when ever he is at the lake.

The real part of his job right now is to go to school and learn his trade in the Nuclear Program he is studying and learning about at this time. On Friday he graduated and is now a Petty Officer.  His is a Mechanics Mate 3 and begins more training sometime around the first of the year.  Until then he will be working on the base doing maintenance and other duties.

After almost 13 difficult hours his plane finally landed in LaCrosse last night at approximately 6 PM.  I could see a difference in him as he walked towards us from the arriving station at the airport.  His sister Jessica, brother-in-law Micheal, Uncle Jerry, a former Naval Officer and I were on hand to meet him.  He looked sharp in his Dress Blues and had a new set of glasses not the ones he wore at boot camp.  After his luggage was grabbed we headed the two blocks home from the airport.

After a short visit, he headed to his room to change into his civilian clothes.  Neala and Jenelle, who cared for mom when she was home, joined us for a super dinner that Micheal and Jessica  cooked up.  Uncle Jerry provided the Ham and the snacks and his "world Famous" dip for the chips.  A lot of laughter and teasing took place as the dinner cooked.  Jessica was in charge of entertainment and she did her job well.  After dinner Micheal and Jerry gave the girls a ride home and Jessica started planning the rest of the evening.

Papa Stu headed downstairs to sleep and Uncle Jerry started to pack for his trip back to California for the week.  He did leave around 830 AM and I was the only one moving.

Jessica got everyone moving so we could stop out to see mom.  She was happy to see Jessica, Micheal and me, but when Andy said "Hi" she said "Boy have I been waiting for you."  We visited for a while and she should off her room.  It was then time for church so we left then.  I know she was so happy to see everyone and I know it made Andy happy that she still recognized them.

Jessica and Micheal left to go home and Andrew drove me home and he got ready to head north to start his visits.  He left about noon and as we said good bye it really sank in how much he has grown in to a man.  I know he will have a good visit with friends and family.  He will be back late Saturday and will leave very early to return to South Carolina.  I am so proud of him and excited that he enjoys the service.  He will be an excellent Sailor like cousins, uncles, aunts,and grandfathers before him.  I know for sure that Grandpa Stuhr would have been so proud to see him get off the plane.

Godspeed Petty Officer Stuhr and keep up the good work.

Elvis Presley Sings a Wonderful Version of Amazing Grace - GodVine - Christian Videos

A beautiful song sung a real super star

Elvis Presley Sings a Wonderful Version of Amaz..., posted with vodpod

Vodpod: Points

Vodpod: Points

Something to check into per my stepson JD who is always ahead in the world of technology . This Vodpod program make it easy to share videos with many people around the world. This is made more for the Adult users Well Vodpod is just one of several extensions you can load onto your computer to make tge experience even better. Give it a shoot and lets get together in a week or so a compare note.

Peace and Love,

Papa Stu out

My Final Comment on Election 2010

I will be short as in my world I one some and I lost some.  As I looked over some of the names that won't be back I found one name that shocked me.  Jim Oberstar from north Minnesota has been  their forever and I actual have visited with him many times when I was with Savories Catering in Duluth.  I am guessing my friend Don is still shell shock and Sarah is having a great time.

In La Crosse Representative Ron kind won a close election that turned extremely dirty with the Republican Party and his opposition tried to throw dirt and tried to hurt his credibility.  Wrong thing to do.   My family and Ron's have been friends for at least 50 plus years and he has great Midwest values.  Ron and I don't see eye to eye on all issues but I trust him to do the best for Western Wisconsin.  From a personal side he cares.  He has stopped by to see how my mother is doing and he really cares.  Ron's family used to stop by to see her and brother Jerry.  My Uncle saw him in Eau Claire last week and the first thing he asked about was how his sister was doing (mom).  I thank him for that.

Now it is time to move on and get on getting our Country right and I believe the this former Marine that sings in the attached clip says it all.  God Bless America.  Peace

Time to Vote

Greeting Friends:

Normally this is a night the I  go nuts and rant and rave about getting ready to vote and also put my two cents in.  However, this year I have on several occasions voiced my opinion and thoughts about many candidates.  I feel that I am punch drunk from all of the negative ads out there.  I know what I am doing and that is I will be in line to VOTE when the polls open.  I have to so that I have the right to speak my mind on the results of the election.  Only the people who vote have the right to speak out.

It is free to vote and many of our neighbors will be at the polls like many of us.  If you see a neighbor remind them to vote.  It is important.

Well that is enough said and I also must say this is my shortest statement, but I will be ready to fire away after the election results are complete.  Take care all.

Peace

Politics - The Final Run

Well the dollars fly and the attacks are on in this final weekend of the 2010 elections.  I was surprised to hear our family friend Ron Kind say that the race is very very close.  


I find this hard to believe and wonder if the idea of dump the incumbent is being played in his District.  Ron has served us well and has been a real friend for the farmers and outdoor enthusiasts and it would be a real loss since Ron's time of service should get him more leadership positions in the House this year. 


Ron has friends and family here and he certainly believes in Western Wisconsin and has served us well.  you talk with the people who really follow politics will tell you that Ron deserves another term.  And I agree.


So when you go into the voting area  to vote ask yourself who should I vote for I hope you decide on Ron Kind because he has done what we have asked him to do.


These are my thoughts and statements that I came up with and no one has asked me to do this nor has anyone told me what to say.

Support Our Troops

  Getting ready to vote on Tuesday and mind just wandering around.  I have studied this election more than any of the 36 elections I have participated in.  Our economy stinks, the job market is terrible and the Banking system is now cheating people out of their homes with paperwork that was never read (sounds familiar to another items passed by Congress) and s just rubber stamped.  Some of these banks got money to survive and then decided not to make out loans to anyone.  Now they are talking about needing more money to get stabilized again.
  Well, in my opinion those banks should not be able to go after the consumers who are in default with their credit cards.  I hear stories of people who have had great credit ratings but have lost jobs and after a couple missed payments they threaten them or have third parties call them 2 or 3 this a day.  I always heard you can't get blood out of a turnip I do know this personally.  They will take the turnip if they could.
  We need our nation to get is shit together and work as a team,  Quit fighting and do the job you have been hired to do.  Protect our borders, support our troops and try to get answers for the deficit. I believe that comes with getting America back to work but that is only my thoughts.  My stepson has some great ideas on how to this but he would need someone to just shut up and listen to him and think about the ideas for 24 hours before they decide it won't work.  Maybe it will when the think about it.
  As for me until we have our troops out of harms way I will support the people who are supporting the troops with what ever they need.  As a military family our colors will fly until till all are home and if you don't like it you will have to tear our flag out of my cold dead hands.
  Well these are my opinions, but you know what?  I vote so I have the right to say what I think, you don"t vote then shut up
  A quick shut out to my son Andrew (Navy), Cousin Matt (Navy) and family friend Tad (Army) who is right now in Baghdad.  God Bless

What Is Going on in the California Senate Race?

What Is Going on in the California Senate Race?

Recovery Summer! (Animation)

US Post Office

Greetings All. As I sit in front of my computer and read newspapers from around the US, review my bills on line and finally pay my bills online I begin to wonder why I need to walk out to my mail box more than 3 times a week. If I need to get something out quickly to Andy I can go to the Fed Ex shop and have it sent out at a very reasonable cost and Andy will have in 1, 2 or 3 days depending how much I want to spend to get it there. Again, send it at the cost I want to spend.
The day of faxes and scans being legal documents has arrived, so I say use them. I know that not every house hold has a computer. My answer to that is "why not"? Uncle Sam should get one for every house hold and teach the people to use it. It would not cost a fraction of what they are spending now and it will put American to work building, delivering and training our citizen to use it. You could see a great return on invested dollars by shutting the Post Office down to 3 deliveries a week. You may need some workers in for 4 days but the primary mail would go just 3 days. As far as the rest of the days during the week they should compete with Fed Ex or UPS for the individual personal and business mail the people want to choose their cost to send it. I am not sure that this will make the Postal Service profitable or not, but I got to believe the loss will be considerably less and if the publicly operated service could do better then I would shut the Postal Service down.and start counting our profits.
Think about it when have you sent a letter by US Mail? When did you mail a bill payment? I rest my case.
Well everyone take care and think about this thought as a way to make our economy stronger.

Peace out, Papa Stu

Gaming

Well another sleepless night in LaCrosse. I have become a proffessional gdame player and I am starting to get good a several of the games. Although I must admit, The Bejeweled Game and Farkle are very fun and they are the kind of games that you need to go back and play several times a day.

With the internet you can find so many games we used to play back in the 60's and 70's. It was neat to be able to [lay those games on my computer. The times they are a changing.  So if you are a person who can't sleep at night and join me and a couple of my Face Book friends on the on the net playing those computer games during the wee hours of the night.  Peace and Blessing for all of you

Something New

 

I am trying out Windows Live for my blog.  I am not sure this isa the way to go but we will see.  They say change is good, well with working 35 years in management I certain did deal with change on a daily basis.  Now that I have retired from the business I struggle with change in my life almost daily.  I don’t handle that change very well at all.

This year for the first time in several years I have actually used my fishing license.  I have averaged 1 day a week for the whole fishing season.  It has been a blast as I get to fish with my brothers and my nephew Chris.  Chris is a heck of a fisherman.  He is learning that dad (Jeff) and Uncle Jim (Papa Stu) can still fish and if you give  us enough time we can even catch a few.

We fish out of a 17 foot fishing boat with a135 hp engine on it.  It gets us to places faster then the old 12 ft boat and the 9.5 hp Mercury we had as kids. Although this year the water has been so high that we have done a lot of fishing on the wing dams because the current is so strong.  The water level has drop considerably so this week will be interesting.

If this new way to do my blog works you will see a lot more from papastusblogspot.com Well it is time to go so like my friend Rik Jordan used to say “keep a tight line until we meet again.”  Peace

A WEEK WITH MIXED EMOTIONS

  I am back again after a long layoff for no special reason.  I will try to be here more often to keep everyone posted on the life and times of good old Papa Stu.  For now I am anxiously waiting for August 1 so I can start get back to the doctor as I had to cancel several due to not having insurance that would cover office calls.  It also doesn't cover my med's and my Dr who works my diabetes has refused to change my Novolog to Humalog.  So I have only been taking my 70 units Lantus as that is all I have.  August 10,2010 I have my appointment to my primary care doctor.  She is great and will help get this stuff straightened out.
  I have been fishing with brothers Jeff and Jerry on Thursday mornings, it has been a great time and I look at this going on until it gets too cold to to fish from a boat.  Sister-in-law Cher had another Anniversary Birthday but I am not not saying how many anniversaries of her 29th birthday.
  On Thursday, we head to Great Lakes Naval Base for Andrews graduation and a visit.  He wants Grandma to be there and you know she s doing very well as she is a Stage 4 Alzheimer patient.  She stays at home and we hope to keep her here for as long as posible.  It will be nice to talk to hime as all our communication has been by mail.  He will leave the next day to go to his A-School so once he settles in there I will head down for a longer visit.  It will be fun.
  The mixed side of the week is that I learned my youngest daughter has cancer.  She found out in June and shared this news with brother and sisters and Uncles and Aunts,but I just found out .  It appears she is not going to treat it as her sister and her were going to the Dr. and she blew it off.  I don't know why but it is her decision and especially with her there is no telling here to do something because she won't do anything suggested.  My hope is the Lord will keep her safe untilo it is time to join him.
  The dogs like the yard better since we lost the big tree and the squirrel does not have a place to run too.  Marvin and Cooper are ready for action if some one or something comes to the backyard.  They also enjoy trips to the Onalaska dog park.  They will be living at the spa while we travel to Great Lakes.
  Today I will spend time in the backyard with the dogs and work with Marvin so he will be up to speed like Cooper where I can take them out side off the leash.
  Hey I got to run.  Wishing you only the best and may God Bless you and your famalies.

Grandma's Photos

Mom with Jenelle Neila her helpers

He Has Risen

Yes He has risen and Easter is being celebrated throughout the world today.  I read two very  good articles in Saturdays newspaper and they made me think back to the days growing up in the congregation at Trinity Lutheran on the north side of La Crosse.  Back then we used to have two services on Palm Sunday at the Mary E Sawyer Auditorium.  We would be there early to help with getting items ready for the service.  Normally, my friend Merlin Thompson or I would be the alter boy for one or both of the services.  The stage was big and there we so many flowers displayed on the floor or on the lily display my brother built for his project to earn the church medal for Scouting.  Most of the ushers were the church elders and the next group of men to lead the church boards.  I have good memories of these service and Pastor Hanson and then Pastor Nelson took great pride in the turnout at these Palm Sunday Services.

The music was always great and it was a time when families would find places to set all over the auditorium.  For this Sunday no one had claim to their seats (at least perceived) like they seemed to think the had at Trinity.

The Good Friday service was always full and I remembered as a kid watching the black veil covering the huge cross at the front of the church.  the music and the reading of the passages for the Bible seemed more intense.  Pastor Nelson had a strong and several points in his sermon (anyone who took sermon notes for confirmation knows exactly what I mean) and his deep voice seemed to echo even more.

Sunday sunrise Service was very popular and ushers often had to put chairs down the center isle to accommodate all of the worshipers.  The service had some of my most favorite hymns of the Christian year.  But the first song was always "He Is Risen" and we sang all of the verses which was a little uncommon for other hymns during the year.  The church and congregation we all up beat ans filled with the Holy Spirit.  Once the service was over we (almost everyone) headed down stairs for a breakfast made by the youth of the church.  Merlin and I didn't have to cook because we were apart of the 3 Services that day.  We did however get to help take down all of the tables and chairs.

Well, that is how I remember the Holy week back in the 60's at Trinity.  The church was full and all the women and girls had their Easter Bonnets on and the beautiful bright colors added to the day.  It has been along  time since I have been to Trinity, as I have lived out of town for  years, but I would hope the young people there today will make the memories that they can share 40 years from now like I have been able to do.

 HE HAS RISEN and THANK GOD HE DID.

F

Thoughts About Congress

Greetings .... Well it has been long time since i have posted so here I go again.. Let me first state that I am not pointing these comments at a specific party as I feel both are to blame for the lack of progress over the last year.  With that stated, I must ask the question why did health care reform take so long?  The party in power had the votes in the house and senate to run this through 8 months ago.  Now it is all about the minority party's lack of support.  NO SUPPORT WAS NEEDED.  The minority party certainly have thrown up a lot of road blocks but in the end that should not have made a difference because for the first time in a long time the President's party control both the House and Senate.  The President needs to spend more time working on his agenda and less time on TV.  And where have the press conferences gone?  Back to my thoughts on Congress.


I feel that the biggest problem with Congress in general is that they are too comfortable in their position and they certainly do not always support the will of the people who have elected them.  Why don't they have to be accountable for the money they spend?  States have to balance their budget every 2 to 4 years.  This is required by law and they certainly do get in jams but they still need to cut items to make the budget.I also am beginning to think term limits should be installed.  Heck, we say the President can only have two terms, so why can the Senators and Congressmen be their for ever.  Although, the house is up for election ever two years so if the will of the people is to keep bringing back the House members i guess I can agree.  The Senate on the other hand are a bunch of senior citizens (in the most part) who are multi-millionaires who really don't understand the what the real middle and lower class Americans need.


I do want to make a point that I have friends in both major parties and also in different movements.  I respect them all and I do enjoy a little bit of spirited debate with them.  I also know that these friends vote the way the feel and the do VOTE.  I listenes to some of the national talk and the local talk (NPR too) and now and again the host will ask the person who is complaining if they voted in the election.  More times then I could believe the person would say they didn't vote.  Then WHY CAN THEY COMMENT?  When an election is over the winner is everyones President, Governor, City Council Member ..... And because I have voted I feel I have earned the right to comment on any aide of an issue.  If you don't vote SHIT UP.


It is my feeling that a change in Congress is need and needs to happen this fall.  The American people voted the President in on his message of change and gave him complete control of the House and Semate.  Yet it took over a year to get a Healthcare plan passed.  Why?  Well, I believe that change took place but at the wrong end of the membership.  We need new leaders in the House and Sente and they have to do the people work and be accountable.  The parties need to work together and they need to quit playing games.


So in the end, I am saying whether you live in Wisconsin, New York, Californis  or Michigan please evaluate your elected officals and ask the question.  Are they doing what they were elected to do?  If yes, bring them back and if they are not send them home.

Well I guess I got some of my steam blown off.  Until next time peace out.

choices

Today is a day that will test the strongest families and will make the whole family have to sit back evaluate the position and move on. The early squeeze on your heart is almost too much to handle until you think about the family you have around you and though they are also confused and wondering if Abbey is safe. The strength of a family shows when anyone of of us needs support and prayers. As for my self, my door will always be open to all my kids. If anyone needs help, support, shelter or advice I will be there to help as long as I am able to do so. Abbey what ever path you choose to take is in your hands and know no one who loves you is going to try to change you. Yet in the end if you nee help we will all be there. Well I want you to know I love you and wish yu the best. God please keep Abbey safe and and help repair my broken heart.

The Mind is a Wonderful Thing (Most of the Time)

Hello All:

I am back again to try to put my thoughts on paper and to do that in a way that more than one person can understand.

I know the picture on the blog is from the Holiday Season but it fits into my thought of the day. It is a picture (frozen in time) thank you Heathyr, that my mind has etched in my brain. It is a quick picture I see everyday before I sleep and certainly every morning when I wake up. It gives me the strenght to make it through the night and then the beautiful thoughts of a new day.

There is no question that these images are the ones that make me think "its a great day'" It is possible for me to day dream about being with each of them each day even though I know that is not possible from a physical position. Yet as I day dream my mind can take me to each of my kids and their famlies like I was right there with them. What a wonderful thing.

Their lives are moving forward at rocket speed as my life did when I was young. The difference is they know to stop and smell the roses along the way. I didn't and I regret that now.

That is where the statement "most of the time" comes into play. When you have time to think, many of the images that pop up are images of times you may have let people down or that you didn't treat some right. I think of this often and hope those friends understand how sorry I am about the things I did that may have hurt them.

So the beautiful mind does remind me daily of the people who are important in my life, yet it also does remind me when I came up short. Later .....

I Realize How Blessed I Am

Now that time is slowing down for me, no 12 to 14 hour days 6 to 7 days a week for 30 plus years, I get a chance to reflect back and try to figure how and why I did it. Although for most of those years my work was my passion and it did cost me two marriages. That I regret, as I know that I should have been able to make them work. Many friends have been married 30 to 35 years and still are doing quite well. The last 16 years that I have been single was spent working even harder and longer then I did when I waas married. Although I believe until May 15th of this year I was married to my work. Enough said there .....
My kids and grandkids are what makes me smile everyday now. Since moving to La Crosse it has been harder to see all of them but I do try to make it happen as much as possible. I know if you asked each of the kids, now all adults and doing very well, what is the one thing dad emphasized over the years? They would all answer he never let us lose sight of the importance of family. As Jimmy says "we have a lot of broken limbs on our family tree", yet all the families get along well and still are involved in all the kids and grandkids lives. These guys and their kids have many more grandpa's and grandma's then the average family has and I believe they all are better for it.
More recently it has come clear to me that although my heart has been filled with love from friends and family I have not spent enough time on my faith. That has changed and it helps me to understand the who's, what's and where's of my life. And that is a good thing. And with that in mind it makes me understand how blessed I really am.
Most of you that know me know I have always liked sports and I often relate stories about sports when I am trying to make points. I just seem to relate to those type of examples as I try to impart my wisdom on a poor soul who has to listen to me. So with that in mind, I found an evening prayer I use that was written by Richard Cardinal Cushing. I would like to share it with you.
Prayer for the Game of Life By Richard Cardinal Cushing

" DEAR GOD, help me be a good sport in the game of life. I don't ask for an easy place in the lineup. Put me anywhere you need me. I only ask that I can give you a 100% of everything I have. If all the hard drives seem to come my way, I thank you for the compliment. Help me to remember that you never send a player more trouble than he can handle with your help ...
And help me, LORD, to accept the bad breaks as part of the game. May I always play on the square no matter what others do ... Help me study ... THE BOOK so I'll know the rules ...
Finally, GOD, if the natural turn of events goes against me and I am benched for sickness or old age, help me accept that as a part of the game, too. Keep me from whimpering that I was framed or that I got a raw deal. And when I finish the final inning, I ask for no laurels; all I want is to believe in my heart, I played as well as I could and that I didn't let you down. Amen."

Yes, I feel blessed and I am still in the Game.

Where are the Snow Forts?

On Thursday last week I drove the old neighborhoods once again after too many years. I was fascinated to find no snow forts,"King of the Mountain" Snow piles, Igloos and many other fun things that were sources for play and sometimes areas of protection from some of the wildest snowball fights I was ever involved in. Oh, the memories of the small guys attacking the older kids in the neighborhood and the numerous times with had to stop to take care of the bloody noses received on both sides. Morning to night the playtime went only to be interupted by one of the mom's call to let us know that hot chocolate was being serve.

I cetainly wonder how kids today get their exercise and also how they learn the heirarcky of the neighborhoods. In a time where computer games and other distraction leave our kids in the corner doing their thing, we need parents to get those kids involved once again in play. I believe that some of best friendships were developed in a 2 to3 square block area from my house. I certainly know the memories are fun to chat about with those friends of 45 to 50 years ago.

I recently ran into Jim Coady at a local restaurant and we laughed about the things we did. The alley was the training area for baseball and everyone participated. The street, well that was like Lambeau Field where evryone learned ti finer points of football and finally the Coady's backyard is where w learned to box. We all boxed against each other and it toughened us all up. We also had 1 small bicycle that everyone learned to ride on up and down Charles Street. Many skinned knees, broken fences and in my case a couple broken arms. But in the end all of us rode that little 2 wheeler proudly up and down Charles Street and in the end it was all good.

So where are todays kids? What are they doing? And how can I drive Clinton Street from George Street to Liberty Street without getting one snowball flying in my direction? Times are changing for sure but much of the times I look back to today took place in our neighborhood on the northside and other neighborhoods on the Land of the Rangers.

Troop 1

Going through things at the house, I have found many interesting pictures of the times from the days at Jefferson Grade School, Logan JR High and also Logan Senior High. I will put up many as the time allows. So I have decided to share the thoughts on Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America. I truly believe that most of the guys that lived close to Jefferson School attended Troop 1 where my dad was troop leader for close to 20 years and also serevd on the BSA council until he passed away in 1969. I don''t want to miss anyone but here are some of the families that did participate. The Almos guys, Wilhelms, Lachman's (my buddy Fred ), The Roland Family (Ione was are cub scout leader and we always built a lot of neat things), Bill Snyder, Wells Family, Lokken Family, Meetz family, Burch Family, Callhan Family, Bittner Family, Stuhr Family and many not mentioned due to lack of memory. But the people I missed please add your name to the list.

We all spents years together and enjoyed many outting though out the State of Wisconsin. Parents all spent time with us whether it was hiking to West Salem, camping in a State Park or spending a week at Camp Decorah. We all learned a lot and we had many of our Troop to earn the Eagle Award. As I look back at this time it helped us all to grow up and learn some life skills that we can still earn.

I did not do much in Scoouting after starting a family, however Cousin Paul Stuhr has dedicated most of his life to scouting. This year he is stepping back and turn the reigns over to a new group of leaders. I am sure proud to call my cousin.

These were good times and I will be back to talk about more of them in the future.

Reviewing and Reflections

It certainly has been a while since I have been here to share my thoughts and reflections. My last visit was after my trip to visit all of my grand kids and my adult children except for Jessica and Mike and Abbey who was in Florida someplace. So my comments will start from that point in time. I will also try to spell check, but will not spend time trying to be grammatically correct in the arrangement of the facts as I remember them (which means it is probably fiction by the time you read this article) since I spent most of the time skipping Miss Voleweider's English class. Of course, we did get out of class when Harry started the fire in the garbage can when we were locked in the classroom. So let's look at the last couple of months from my minds eye. First from a medical update the battle with my diabetes has been as tough of time as I have had since my first 2 months of getting things somewhat to normal. A lot of people have this disease and they know from time to time it can get out of line. After 12 years of A1C under 7.0 (goal for a diabetic) my last 2 have been 9.8 and 9.3 which is not good. this has caused me to not be able to drive out of town much and for my eye sight to change a lot. I have been writing out everything I eat and I take 1 unit of insulin for each carb I eat. It has been a pain but it makes you realize what impact the food has on you. My doctor appointments this week were the best I have had in a couple years. No damage to the eyes right now and if my numbers continue down it should be no problem. I will need to get some new glasses to get me by until my sugar is back to normal. Kinda like having a set of fat clothes and a set of extra fat clothes. Blood sugar test on Friday was best ever as it started at 168 and then I ate and sat in the hospital and had my sugars tested every hour and the numbers were in the normal range the whole time so that was a first and it seems to be a turning point. I am also starting to workout on a exercise bike. It is no fun but I figure if I ride to about LA I might drop a couple of pounds.
We have recently had some help with supervising mom during the week as she continues to do very well with her physical health but struggles with short term memory. She just celebrated her 78th birthday and is waiting for a Packer run to the Super Bowl. That will be interesting as she still is a big Brett fan and cheers for him every week. She has had fun with Andrew being here until he leaves for the Navy early this summer. He will be in the Nuke program and is excited to get started. At 23 he will be one of the older members of his Basic Training Group. Then it is off to South Carolina for school. After that he will find out where his assignment will be and what area he will be involved in. I am sure proud of him.
It has been lot of fun running into old friends on the social networks. When I got back to La Crosse I never realized how many of our class mates had moved out of town. So it has been fun connecting with many of them. Laurie Lane keeps me up to date on the new friends she finds and I have had coffee a couple times with Fred Lachman. He dropped of fresh fish at the house and chatted with mom and had coffee with me. We are having breakfast next week. It should be a blast.
I have started to get the hang of La Crosse again. The areas we used to party (French Island - 22) are non-existent as new runways run right through the area. The Varsity Club reopened last month and is owned by one of the Numister boys. I doubt they have the 20 beers for a buck anymore and I would guess the decor is much nicer. I will have to check with my niece Jill to find out what it is like as I would guess she has checked it out. The Alma Mater has new ownership as Berger got out of the business after 40 years. I had breakfast there just before he left. In fact, I got to meet the new Mayor who is the first mayor elected from the north side. Nice young man (23 years old I think) he is one of the Harter clan. He seems to be trying to do a good job but doesn't fit the good old boy network. Time will tell.
The have a nice pool area where the old high school used to set. The kids sure packed it full this year. I have not yet toured the new Logan but will do that this spring. The Onalaska and Holmen area have really grown a lot and you can get lost in a second trying to find some of the old place we used to go. There are new golf courses all over and the Country Club is now a public course.
I have been learning German and have had fun doing that, as I figured i should do something with my spare time and Herr Jergen spent two long years with me in class killing time. But I guess that was the way it was back then for me.
Christmas was a quiet time this year with the kids all establishing their own traditions which is fun to see them grow as families. When they all get together, which they do once or twice a year, it is fun to be a fly on the wall and watch them interact with each other and also with their nieces and nephews. I hope that they will always stay close as family mean everything to me.
So as I go forward into the New Year I am excited to get in contact with many more of the old friends and seeing what they have been up to for the last 38 years. I can't wait to hear everyones story.
I am out of here for now. Peace